Clothes pin



Oct. 18, 1955 P. TORRANI CLOTHES PIN Filed March 6, 1952 Ff'g- 5 United States Patent O CLQTI-BES PIN Piero Torran, Golasecca, Italy Application March .6, 19.52, serial No. 275,067

Claims priority, application Italy March 8, 1951 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-137) The present invention relates to clips for holding together various articles, and in particular to clothespins for linen hung out to dry. Such clothespins are normally constituted by a couple of wooden sticks or jaws constituting substantially two levers of iirst class mutually fulcrumed, their fulcrum being constituted by a helical elastic member having its seat in cavities provided in each of said jaws and formed with extensions adapted to hold the jaws together at the one of their ends destined to grip the thing to be held. The purpose of said elastic member provided with extensions is to return the jaws to a position of contact with each other at said one end whenever they be drawn away from each other by manual pressure on the opposite end in order to introduce the thing to be held therebetween.

Said clips offer the inconvenience that the various constituting parts described are easily disengaged from each other at any time the two sticks are subjected to stresses having components in a direction parallel to their mutual axis of rotation. Said inconvenience occurs particularly if the elastic member is already fatigued by frequent use; in any case the comparative easiness with which the various parts are separated, makes the character of their coupling rather precarious. As experience shows, even the pressure exerted upon the sticks by the extensions of the elastic member, is not sufficient to ensure long duration of the engagement thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the inconveniences and disadvantages mentioned above and which arise every time stresses are exerted upon the parts of the clip so as to cause relative movements thereof outside the plane perpendicular to their mutual axis of rotation. The spring according to the present invention is characterized by the provision of a radially enlarged coil in the helical elastic member which extends substantially along said plane perpendicular to the mutual axis of rotation, there being also provided, in the two parts of the clip which are destined to exert the gripping action, suitable recesses for receiving said radially enlarged coil, in a shape adapted with a clearance to that presented to it.

In order that the present invention may be fully understood and practiced, an illustrative embodiment is hereinafter described in detail and shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and showing a jaw member for incorporation in a clothespin embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the jaw member of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a spring member embodying the present invention and adapted to hold two jaw members, of the kind shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in assembled relationship;

Fig. 4 is another elevational view of the spring member of Fig. 3, but viewed in a direction at right angles to the direction of viewing in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of an assem- 2,720,688 vPatented Oct. 18, :1955

A2 Ibled `clothespin Vformed from jaw kmembers and a spring -memberas illustratedin Figs. 1 to-4.

Referring to the drawing `in detail, it will be seen that .a tc'lothespin wembodying the present invention includes a pairfof .jaw Ymembers 10a and 10b and a springmember, .generally vindicated by the numeral 11, for holding -th'e `jaw members in assembled relationship. The jaw mem- :bers are Aassembled :in confronting relationship and at one :end define gripping portions for holding the article to be 4secured therebetween, while the confronting surfaces of rthe jaw members, at the other end of the clothespin, are inclined away from each other, as at 12, so that the end portions of the jaw members having such inclined surfaces may be pressed together to separate the gripping portions for inserting or removing the article to be secured. Each of the jaw members, intermediate its ends and adjacent the inclined surface 12, is formed with a transversely extending, substantially semicylindrical recess 13. Further, each jaw member is provided with a transverse notch or groove 14 in its outer surface at a longitudinal location between the recess 13 and the gripping end portion of the related jaw member. Finally, each jaw member is formed with a longitudinal, relatively narrow slot 15 opening at the inside surface of the jaw member and extending from the related recess 13 toward the gripping end portion of the jaw member.

The spring member 11 includes a helical spring 16 formed of a resilient or spring metal and having a radially enlarged coil 17 at the center thereof. Arms 18 and 19 extend radially from the opposite ends of the helical spring 16 in the same general radial direction as the enlarged coil 17 and at their free ends are bent to form portions 211i and 21, respectively, extending parallel to the axis of the helical spring.

In assembling the clothespin embodying the present invention, the helical spring 16 is received in the confronting semi-cylindrical recesses 13 of the jaw members and the radially enlarged coil 17 lodges in the narrow slots 15 of the jaw members. The arms 18 and 19 are urged angularly apart with the portions 2G and 21 thereof engaging in the notches 14 at the outside of the jaw members. Thus, the helical spring acts as a pivot for the jaw members and the arms 1S and 19 of the spring member continuously urge the gripping end portions of the jaw members into mutual contact. Further, the radially enlarged coil 17, by its engagement in the narrow slots 15 of the jaw members, prevents relative movement of the jaw members in the direction parallel to the pivot axis of the latter, so that the jaw members, when once assembled with the spring member 11, are disengaged from the latter only with great difliculty.

From the foregoing it is apparent that a sturdy and lasting connection is provided between the jaw members of a clothespin embodying this invention, and that these advantages are obtained without increasing the number of parts or affecting the simplicity of construction. While an illustrative embodiment has been described and shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to that precise embodiment and that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A clothespin and the like comprising a pair of jaw members having gripping end portions and arranged in confronting relationship with the gripping end portions registered for securing an article therebetween, said jaw members having transverse recesses in the confronting inner surfaces thereof and intermediate the opposite ends of the related jaw members, each jaw member further having a longitudinal, centrally located relatively narrow slot opening only at the inner surface of the related jaw Y member andk extending from said transverse recess toward the gripping endrportion of the jaw member, and a spring member including a helical spring having a series of coils disposed in said recesses tol form a pivot for relative rock- ;ing of said Vjaw members and havinga radiallyelongated loop at the center thereof extending substantially tangenhelical spring and engaging against the outer surfacesof said jawY members at longitudinal locations onithelatter between said recesses and the gripping end portions so that said arms continuously urge said jVaw-member's'into mu-V tual contact at the gripping end portions of the latter.

2. A clothespin and the like Vaccording to vclaim 1;V

wherein said radialarms at the opposite ends of helical spring extend substantially in the same radial direction as said elongated loop at the center of the helical spring'.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,081,852 Mierzwik r Dee 16, 1913V 2,514,698 Herrero 'Iuly 1l, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 463,133 canada Feb. 14, 195o 

